Spotting Scope

[fiveeight]

Thanks everyone. I hadn't thought about using the rifle scope to spot holes/markers... too much time spent with target rifle guys!

I will be using iron sights for the 100-300 yard stuff so I'll look for something to use for that and then consider if I need a big spotting scope when I start trying longer ranges.

[Watcher]

If you can wait Aldi will be selling a spotting scope at some stage this year. Will cost you about £20! I use it for TR up to a 1,000 yards and its absolutely fine. The tripod is not brilliant so I bought an Opticron Bipod for £50.

[fiveeight]

For anyone with a similar question in the future I ended up getting an 8x42 Opticron BGA Monocular. Not terribly powerful but it has really good eye relief (I easily get a full view while wearing my glasses), seems to have nice optics, is reasonably small and light and is supposed to be waterproof/non fogging. Will be trying it out on the NRASC day next weekend.

[Christel]

Let us know how you get on with that, I assume it does not have a tripod?

[fiveeight]

Tried it yesterday at Bisley at 100 and 200 yards shooting and 600 and 1000 yards spotting other people's shots and was happy with it. At 100 we were shooting off a bench (uncovered points on Short Siberia) and changing over after 10/20 rounds and it was less hassle than taking a scope on a tripod up to the bench each time. At 200 in the afternoon the light was going a bit and it was still nice and bright. I could see the shot markers surprisingly well at 600 and 1000 considering it's only 8x magnification. I'm not sure I'd want to rely on it if I was shooting that range regularly but it certainly worked. The field of view is good enough that it's easy to find your target straight away and the magnification is low enough that it doesn't wobble much when held (there's no tripod fitting), even when you're standing. A couple of other people used it and both liked it. The only thing it really needs is captive/flip up lens covers, it's annoying keeping track of them.

[Mike357]

Found a 7-21 x 25 Monocular for £35 on here http://www.binocularoutlet.co.uk/product/monoc1.html

I may well purchase one of these in the next week or two!

[IainWR]

As has been said, if you shoot with a scope on your rifle, there's relatively little to be had from a separate scope rather than buying the best riflescope you can.

If you shoot competitive TR at long range, you need something that will show mirage under difficult conditions. A big objective lens for maximum light, and the best optics you can afford. My £650 on a secondhand Leica was definitely money well spent. Leica, or Karl Zeiss, or the bigger Kowas (and I dare say other high-end makes) will give you point-saving wind information when lesser products only tell you where your shot went. I didn't choose a zoom lens - it came with the scope - but I do find it useful for deciding whether to challenge a line shot (60 power lets you see exactly how much of the spotting disc is across the line).

Iain